making news in america this morning. >> the vice presidential candidates clash on just about every issue. >> watch out, middle-class. the tax bill is coming to you. >> that's a bunch of mularkey. >> why is that so? >> because not a single thing he said is accurate. >> reporter: joe biden and paul ryan didn't give an inch to one another. we have the details from danville, kentucky. also, moving day, for the space shuttle "endeavour." it is starting a two-day trip through the streets of los angeles. the postal service adds a penny to the cost of your forever stamps. its newest effort to stop all the red ink. and the san francisco giants and detroit tigers are looking forward in baseball's playoffs. two more teams will move today.

good friday morning, everybody. it was a decidedly different debate than last week's presidential faceoff. this time, joe biden and paul ryan clash on virtually every issue, stopping short of, basically, calling each other liars. >> now, the question is who won? and overnight yahoo! poll of 130,000 people may have the best answer of all. and it was 50/50. abc's brandi hitt is in danville, kentucky. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, paula. yes, the vice presidential debate definitely lived up to expectations. both sides sparred throughout the night. and many do believe that vice president biden helped make up for president obama's lackluster performance last week. the first and only vice presidential debate sparked a

few fireworks. >> it's been done a couple of times. >> never -- >> lower tax rates, increase growth. >> now, you're jack kennedy. >> reporter: vice president joe biden and republican challenger, paul ryan, delivered stark difference on domestic and foreign policy. >> we're going in the wrong direction. look at where we are. the economy is barely limping along. >> it shouldn't be surprising for a guy who says 47% of the american people are unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives. they pay more effective tax than governor romney pays in his federal income tax. >> reporter: ryan went after president obama for his response to the u.s. consulate attack in libya. >> it took the president two weeks to acknowledge that this was a terrorist attack. >> reporter: while biden challenged ryan's proposed changes to medicare. >> you are jeopardizing the program. you're changing the program from a guaranteed benefit. >> reporter: it was a more heated back and forth than the first presidential debate. and biden often laughed at

ryan's arguments. >> joe biden understood tonight he had to go back out there and do what president obama failed to do last week. >> reporter: with the race still tight for president obama and mitt romney, watched closely. >> i thought joe biden was terrific tonight. i couldn't be prouder of him. >> reporter: and in the end, the running mates shared a few laughs. >> i think the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way. >> i always say what i mean. >> reporter: that got a lot of laughs last night. the next big debate is next tuesday. that's when we see president obama and mitt romney faceoff for round two in new york. reporting live in danville, kentucky, brandi hitt. rob and paula, back to you.k fo. brandi hitt reporting from danville, kentucky. thanks, brandi. and president obama gave vice president biden's performance a thumbs-up last night. he watched the debate aboard air

force one, returning from one of his last fund-raising events before the election. the president chided mr. romney for calling himself, quote, severely conservative. and now, trying to reinvent himself as a moderate. and during a campaign swing in north carolina, mitt romney went after the obama administration's handling of the terrorist attack in libya. romney accused the president of failing to, quote, grasp the seriousness of the incident. mitt romney will join his running mate in the state of ohio. little perspective of last night's debate. it may have been contentious. but at least it didn't get physical. check out this faceoff between two veteran california democrats, running for the same seat. at one point, congressman brad sherman grabbed his opponent, congressman howard berman, and shouted, do you want to get into this? the audience, hooting and hollering, until a sheriff's deputy had to step in to separate them. >> take it out outside, fellas.

it's getting hot. and a dire warning about cyber security from the nation's top defense official. leon panetta says we are facing the threat of a possible cyber pearl harbor, in which foreign computer hackers take control of the power grid, transportation and financial network. a hostile group could derail a passenger train that's loaded with lethal chemicals. investigators in colorado are asking for the public's help in finding the suspect in the kidnapping of jessica ridgeway. what is believed to be the little girl's body was discovered not far from where she disappeared just a week ago. positive identification has been made more difficult by the fact that parts of the body are missing. and the first suit has now been filed in the deadly meningitis outbreak. a minnesota woman who may have gotten the tainted steroids is suing the drugmaker. the death toll has risen to 14. and officials fear it could go even higher. there's now 170 confirmed cases.

federal health experts are warning people who have gotten those shots that they should be on the lockout for symptoms over the next couple of months. the nobel peace prize will be announced in the next hour in oslo, norway. experts say there's not a clear favorite this year. some oddsmakers believe it will go to a russian human rights group, an afghan women's rights activist or an american scholar whose writings influenced the pro-democracy movement in the arab world. stay tuned for that announcement. >> shouldn't you be over there to accept your award? >> next year. time, now, for the weather across the nation. up to eight inches of the white stuff, mountain snow in colorado and utah. showers in the northwest. morning rain and thunderstorms in los angeles, vegas and albuquerque. severe storms with a chance of tornadoes around wichita, oklahoma city and amarillo. >> summer-like in the south. the midwest and northeast are cold and windy.

and in the 50s. mostly 70s in the rockies. coming up this friday morning, another space shuttle heads to its final home. first, something to irritate you on a friday. new evidence that banks are still tacking on plenty of fees. and some welcome news about the airlines. this all next.

welcome back, everybody. well, you better keep an eye on your bank statements. a new pugh study says a dozen major banks are not being clear about their checking account fees. and many are charging more for

features. sometimes the fees aren't listed on bank websites. but they're in those checking account disclosure statements that you get in the mail sometimes. the study says they actually run a median length of 69 pages. well, the maker of mini-wheats has a not-so-small problem on its hands. kellogg's is recalling almost 3 million boxes of the cereal because they could be contaminated with small pieces of metal. kellogg's blames a faulty manufacturing part and had a major recall the other day. >> that cereal's in our snack room upstairs. >> yeah. it's in my cabinet at home, too. the cash-strapped postal service is hoping to make up its huge losses one penny at a time. rates are going up, shockingly, once again. january 27th, including first class mail, which will go up a penny to 46 cents.

priority mail shipping will increase about 46%. the post office expects to lose $15 billion this year. flying might be a hassle. but on the bright side, you have a better chance to get where you're going on time. new government numbers show that between january and august, airlines had an 82% on-time arrival rate. that's the best showing in 18 years. and canceled flights dropped to a record low. >> you notice how you get a plane ticket and there's a time on there. the time on the ticket is longer than what the captain tells you to get on the plane. the numbers make you seem like you get there on time. that's what i'm just saying. i'm going to call brian ross. a famous fast food face is getting a makeover. get ready for a new look at wendy's. >> the past 30 years, this has been the face of wendy's. the familiar red pigtails and the little freckled girl. now, there's the update. all part of an overhaul for the brand. the new logo will be serving the

name wendy comes from the daughter of the chain's founder, dave thomas. my family has single-handedly supported several wendy's in our lifetime. when we come back, "endeavour" rolls out towards the california science center. d the latest from maine, where a prostitution case has plenty of people rather nervous this morning. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing balance rewards, the new way to save and get more of what you love walgreens for. it's easy to get points on everyday purchases, and easy to redeem them for just about anything anyone in your family could want. just make sure you save enough points for a little something for yourself. sign up today, in-store or online. it's instant points and endless rewards. and it's all right here. at the corner of happy and healthy.

[ female announcer ] sometimes a good deal isn't such a good deal. but bounty gives you value you can see. in this lab demo, one sheet of bounty leaves this surface cleaner than two sheets of the leading ordinary brand. bounty. the clean picker upper. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk.

try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. align naturally helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ ooh, baby, can i do for you today? ♪ try align today. some spectacular characters were taking shape over the skies of new mexico. larger than life animals, flowers and rock stars. >> this is the special shapes rodeo at the balloon fiesta in albuquerque. the event didn't disappoint. with that, a look at your morning road conditions. snow-covered passes in the colorado and utah mountains. a wet ride from southern california to vegas and albuquerque. thunderstorms also drench highways from wichita to

amaril amarillo. if you're flying, airport delays are possible in los angeles, san diego, san francisco, and vegas. the retired space shuttle "endeavour" is on the move this morning. >> it's begun the two-day journey to its final home at a los angeles museum. here's abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: overnight, the space shuttle "endeavour" began its final journey. "endeavour" left the los angeles airport en route to its retirement home at the california science center. >> i want to see it. >> reporter: it's a terribly complicated move. although "endeavour" is traveling just 12 miles, it's going to take 2 days for the 5-story, 165,000-pound shuttle to reach its destination. >> moving something the size of the shuttle with a 78-foot wingspan through the city streets is maybe not rocket science. but it's not too far from it. >> reporter: in south l.a., along "endeavour's" route, crews cut down hundreds of trees.

and dozens of power lines were removed. roads were closed and traffic diverted. the city placed restrictions on where the public can watch "endeavour," saying streets are just not wide enough for the shuttle and crowds. some who live along >> it's a historical thing.oyed. everybody wants to be there. instead of being pushed away. >> reporter: "endeavour" will be parked here, at the display pavilion until construction of its permanent display is finished. >> i think it's going to be a remarkable thing to see. and it's really going to motivate kids. >> reporter: one final mission for a shuttle that traveled more than 100,000 miles in space. tahman bradley, abc news. a michigan businessman has pleaded guilty to trying to hire a hitman to kill his wife's murderer. >> he said he had nothing to do with the strangling death of his wife, jane, back in january. but heavyman joe ganz says he

hired him to do it. authorities say he wanted him dead so he couldn't name him in the upcoming trial. and a third man has died after a parking garage under construction collapsed on the campus of miami-dade college. doctors say a worker who was rescued after being trapped in the rubble for 13 hours was unable to survive serious injuries. emergency crews they say expect to recover one more body from inside that collapsed structure. and two alleged customers of a maine woman accused of running a prostitution ring out of her zumba studio are trying to keep the client list from going public. a lawyer filed a motion in court ahead of the release of the names today. alexis wright has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, as well as other offenses. >> the little black book. here's the talker story of the morning. michael vick is a dog owner again. the revelation comes just three

years after vick was released from prison on a dogfighting conviction. the eagles quarterback angered animal activists by tweeting a picture of his daughter with a box of dog biscuits on the table. he says he wants his children to develop a healthy relationship with animals. and college football has lost a true classic personality. since 1986, bean know cook was a passionate pundit. and hid last blog post said health issues hit him at the wrong time, the start of the college football season. beano cook died in his sleep yesterday. he was 81. with that, some of last night's highlights, now, from baseball and football. we get those from espn. >> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. justin verlander and the tigers

trying to close out the a's in game five. stephen drew, strikes out swinging. josh reddick, didn't even see it. verlander had 11 strikeouts in game 1. top third. austin jackson, a deep ball to center. omar infante would come around to score. jackson had two rbis in this game. his second career multi-rbi postseason game. fielder at the dish. gets an rbi single to score jackson. 5-0. as the a's are 11-54 this season after trailing after four innings. bottom nine. seth smith would ground out. verlander, with nine innings of work. ten strikeouts, not a single earned run. the tigers win 6-0 and win the series. ben roethlisberger and the steelers looking for the first road win of the season. taking on the titans.

first quarter, roethlisberger threw for 363 yards for the most passing yards in steeler history. this connection to mike wallace. steelers up 7. we're tied at 23-23 in the fourth. and the kick is up. rob bironas for the game-winning 40-yard field goal. titans win. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great night. there's some baseball history to report. this is the first time since divisional playoffs started that all four series have gone five games. >> san francisco was powered by a grand-slam home run by buster posey. they beat the reds to advance to the nlcs. first time a team has been down two games and gone with the win. washington got a walkoff home run from jayson werth to force game five against st. louis. and the orioles topping the yankees in 13 innings. they play game five today, as

well. >> playoff baseball. coming up next this morning, "the pulse." a couple shoutouts to a few of our colleagues here at abc. >> including internet love for our martha raddatz for her handling of last night's big debate. i'm done! "are you a cool mom?" i'm gonna find out. [ female announcer ] swiffer wetjet's pads are better than ever. now they have the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser so you don't have to get down on your hands and knees to scrub away tough, dried-on stains. hey, do you guys think i'm "momtacular" or "momtrocious"? ♪ [ female announcer ] swiffer. now with the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. a deep, throbbing, persistent ache.

my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. ask your doctor if lyrica is right you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole.

see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. time to check "the pulse" this morning, which features two of our very own here at abc news. first up, our martha raddatz, who was getting overwhelmingly positive reviews for her handling of last night's veep debate. >> some were criticizing her for cutting off paul ryan. but overall, the response has been good. some celebs tweeting last night. mark ruffalo, said martha raddatz was great. eva longoria called martha the best moderator ever.

and roger ebert said he votes for martha raddatz to moderate all of the debates. and terrific news about our dear friend and colleague, robin roberts. she is waking up in her own bed in her own home this morning. >> she's out of the hospital after spending a month there for her bone marrow transplant. back home, enjoying the riverviews she loves. she said part of her strength, coming from the good wishes of all of you who are watching. and finally, marine biologists in south florida have an eye-popping mystery on their hands literally. check out what washed up on pompano beach. >> this eye ball is on ice until someone can determine its species. sorry if we ruined your breakfast. we do have an eye for great stories, don't we? for some of you, now, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be

back with a marine who came to the rescue, even when he really didn't have to. stick around. sensitive teeth, i didn't want to change toothpastes. i already had a product that made my mouth feel clean. why am i going to go and change it? the first thing he recommended was that i use sensodyne. sensodyne helps with the sensitivity issues and at the same time it gives you the clean feeling. your mouth feels fresh. sensodyne satisfies the needs that i would look for in a toothpaste. i definitely feel like i can be myself now. i don't have the same pain i did. it gives you your life back.

car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching, you'd have like, a ton of dollars. but how're they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um" or "no comment." then there's esurance. born online, raised by technology and majors in efficiency. so whatever they save, you save. hassle, time, paperwork, hair-tearing out, and yes, especially dollars. esurance. now backed by allstate. click or call. no you don't, honey. yes, you do! don't! i've washed a few cupcake tins in my day... oh, so you're a tin expert now. whoa nelly! hi, kitchen counselor here. he's actually right... with cascade complete. see cascade complete pacs work like thousands of micro-scrubbing brushes to help power away tough foods even in corners and edges. so, i was right, right? i've gotta run. more dishwasher brands in north america

recommend cascade. updating our top stories now. joe biden and paul ryan face off in a lively, often contentious vice presidential debate last night. this morning, as expected, both republicans and democrats are claiming victory. leon panetta is warning of a possible cyber pearl harbor, where hackers take over the transportation, power and financial networks. and the space shuttle "endeavour" has started its two-day journey through the streets of los angeles, en route to its final home at a museum. we look at today's weather. showers in the pacific northwest. thunderstorms from l.a. to vegas and albuquerque. snow in the rockies. storms from amarillo to wichita. it will be cold in the northwest, as well as the northeast. finally, the true meaning of teamwork. a determined young boy has shown

himself and the world how much he could do. >> but when he needed a little help on the way, the perfect person stepped in. we have the story from pensacola, florida. >> reporter: ben lost his leg to bone cancer at the age of 6. yet, he has crossed six triathlon finish lines in his lifetime. all of them without his right leg. all of them without help. but it was this finish that has captured america's heart. >> and it just breaks. it's broken before. but not in a race. >> reporter: ben had completed two-thirds of the triathlon. he had swam 3 miles, biked 150 yards and was halfway through his 1-mile run, when a marine noticed his athleticism. >> ben was passing other contestants. and we were watching for a second. and all of a sudden, his property threatic fa prosthetic failed.

he had jumped up and tried to fix it while continuing the race. >> reporter: what did he say to you? >> you need help? >> he said no, i'm going to finish. >> reporter: ben realized, in order to cross the finish line, just a half-mile away, he would need his leg or a helping hand. meanwhile, ben's mom waited for him at the finish line, wondering about her son. >> he never showed up. i was getting worried. >> reporter: there was no need. for marines, there's no much thing as off-duty. >> i told him to hop on. >> he picked me up. >> he hopped on my back. >> and ran the rest of the race. >> and we finished the race. >> and the announcer says, turn around and see what's going on on the course. >> they were cheering us on. >> reporter: what does this duo think about their newfound fame? >> there's a lot more that deserve more than me. >> it's kind of neat. >> great story. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a great fri